


Fantastical Simplicity

by Night_Lightning17



Category: Waterparks (Band)
Genre: A lot - Freeform, Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Awsten Is A Sad Boi, Cute, Cute Ending, Denial of Feelings, Domestic Fluff, Fae Awsten, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, I got so soft while writing this you don't even know, Immortal Otto, Like, M/M, Mutual Pining, Not that much though, Pining, Takes Place On Otto’s Farm, i'm SOFT, they have a lot of feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-24
Updated: 2021-01-06
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:14:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,060
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26631937
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Night_Lightning17/pseuds/Night_Lightning17
Summary: Awsten, an emotional wreck after being cheated on, can’t stop being reminded of her. On a particularly bad night, he shows up on Otto’s doorstep and they stay together for a bit while helping Awsten overcome the betrayal that comes with that bad of a breakup. The summary makes it seem more serious than it actually is. It's cute, I promise.
Relationships: Awsten Knight/Otto Wood
Comments: 3
Kudos: 26





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was so self-indulgent oh my god. Have fun all you Awtto truthers and read my shit.

The only thing he was aware of was the ringing. Was it his ears or was it from the outside? The pressure behind Otto’s forehead made it difficult to tell. The red numbers on the clock flashed the time. 1:24. It was way too early for this. The ringing stopped. It must be on the outside, then. That meant someone was probably at the door.

He rolled out of bed and shuffled down the hall to the door. Would it be someone he knew or would it be a stranger? The only one that lived out here was him. He didn’t know if that was comforting or terrifying. He looked apprehensively through the peephole. A figure was standing on Otto’s porch, slumped and curled into himself.

“Awsten?” he asked, opening the door quickly. “What are you doing here so late?” Awsten looked up at Otto, eyes slightly glowing and cheeks stained with the remnants of luminescent tears. Fuck. This was bad. Awsten never went anywhere or did anything without masking, despite the physical toll it took on him, because _what if someone sees me?_ He only let his fae side show when he was really emotional. Otto sighed. Of course. Ciara decimated his heart only a few months ago. That still didn’t explain why he was here though.

“I—I—her,” Awsten hiccuped, unable to get the words out. His breathing was coming out harsh and staggered as more glowing blue tears fell down his face.

“Hey, _hey_ , calm down. It’s alright, It’s alright,” Otto said, repeating the same words of comfort, hoping that maybe some of them would get through to his friend “Come inside. We can talk when you calm down. We’ve got all the time in the world.” Awsten shuffled into the small house and sat down on Otto’s couch.

To say that Otto was surprised would be an understatement. He had often griped to Awsten about how he never visited, but he never expected it to actually happen. But it was one in the morning and a tearful Awsten was currently sitting on his sofa.

Otto’s footsteps seemed to slam on the carpeting of his floor as he walked to his friend. Anxiety crept into the back of his thoughts and he almost stopped, not wanting to intrude on what was clearly a vulnerable moment for Awsten. Otto told himself Awsten _wanted_ to be around him, _wanted_ his company. The fae never did anything he didn’t want to, and for him to show up on Otto’s doorstep unprompted was evidence enough, but Otto still found he didn’t quite believe himself.

Awsten had calmed down a little, no longer actively crying, though his breathing was still a little uneven. Otto sat down next to him.

“It’s about her, isn’t it,” he asked quietly. It was still obviously a sensitive subject, and one that Otto didn’t really feel that he could talk about. It wasn’t his place. Awsten nodded.

“I s-see her everywhere,” he stumbled out before more glowing tears fell from his eyes. “Every girl in LA looks like her when I don’t focus on their faces. I can’t stand it anymore. I,” he paused, looking down at his hands while he picked at his nails. “I didn’t know what else to do. So I came here. I’m so sorry.”

“Hey, hey, you’re okay. It’s alright. If anything, I’m glad you came here. You shouldn’t have to be reminded of her.” Otto looked at Awsten’s face. He looked worn. “You look like shit. I have a spare bedroom down the hall. Get some sleep and we can talk about this in the morning, okay?” Awsten nodded.

“Okay,” he said softly. “And thank you.” Otto just smiled.

The next morning, Awsten shuffled tiredly from the guest room into the kitchen as Otto stood over the stove cooking…something. Awsten didn’t know what it was, but it smelled delicious. Emotional fatigue still weighed down on him, but he felt better than he did yesterday.

“Rise and shine. I don’t remember the last time you slept like that,” Otto said from his position by the stove. He spared Awsten a glance and his expression quickly morphed into one of confusion and concern.

“You don’t have to mask while you’re here, you know. Literally no one is around to see your fae form,” he said.

Oh. _That_. Immediately defensive, Awsten rushed to find something to say.

“Well what about _you_? There’s no one out here and I don’t see you unmasking!”

“I stay in human form because it doesn’t take a physical toll on me like it does to _someone_. You wouldn’t be so tired all the time if you didn’t insist on keeping your human form at all times.”

Well Awsten couldn’t refuse the facts. Curse Otto for using _logic_.

“I’ll make you a deal-“

“You shouldn’t be making deals about your own well-being”

“Let me finish. I’ll make you a deal: I’ll let go of my human form if you let go of yours.”

Otto shook his head. “No.”

“What’s the point of being a literal statue if you never actually take advantage of being a statue,” Awsten wheedled.

“I like feeling human. But the fundamental difference is that I don’t risk my health because of it and you shouldn’t either,” Otto insisted.

“Pleeeease?”

Otto sighed. “Fine,” he said. “But just this once. Maybe actually care about yourself in the future, though.”

Otto closed his eyes. Awsten watched in fascination as the color seemed to slowly leach out of his friend, his natural human form turning to stone right before Awsten’s eyes. When Otto’s eyes finally opened, the iris’ were blank ivory. It was freaky. And so, so cool.

“Alright, I held up my end of the deal, now you need to too.”

“Heh, tutu.”

Otto glared at Awsten. “You know what I meant. Now do it.”

Awsten groaned. “Fiiiiine.”

Shifting back into fae form was a strange experience, even more so due to how little he did it. A cold light filled him from the inside. A large pair of bright, luminescent wings unfurled from his back as his skin melted off, giving way to something lighter. Less corporeal. He sighed in relief once the shifting was over, free of the weight of a human body.

He opened his eyes to see Otto staring at him in amazement. “You act like you’ve never seen me without my flesh prison before,” Awsten joked.

Otto blinked. “Oh, sorry,” he said almost bashfully. “I just spaced out there for a moment.” He paused. “Do you want breakfast?”

Awsten grinned. “Hell yeah.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back. This is a short chapter but what are y'all gonna do about it? Anyway, here's some more food, eat up.

It had been a few days since Awsten had just shown up. Otto was concerned for his friend. Just showing up at someone’s doorstep in the middle of the night after devastating heartbreak wasn’t good, right? Don’t get him wrong, Otto would do anything for Awsten but he needed to address the elephant in the room. He thought of different ways to approach the subject but none of them seemed to do the job without being extremely awkward. “So,” he started carefully. 

“What,” Awsten asked absentmindedly, fiddling with his phone. “The reception here is terrible. I don’t see how you live like this.”

Otto sighed. No going back now. “Are we going to talk about why you’re here?”

Awsten’s wings folded into themselves. “What’s there to talk about?” 

“What do you mean ‘what’s there to talk about? You just showed up at one in the morning with no reason or explanation-”

Awsten’s head snapped up, anger evident on his face. “You don’t  _ get _ to say that,” he spit at Otto. “ I  _ told _ you why! It’s  _ her.  _ She  _ destroyed  _ me. I just…” he trailed off. The look on his face changed from angry to vulnerable so fast that it took the fight right out of Otto. “I feel safer when we’re together.” 

Oh. 

Otto was overwhelmed. It was such a small statement, but to him it felt huge. “I’m sorry,” was the only thing he could think to say. It’s not enough, there was  _ more _ he needed to say, why couldn’t he say  _ more _ ? 

Awsten shook his head. “ _ Thank  _ you,” he said quietly. “For letting me stay.” And then Otto suddenly had an armful of his best friend. He felt fragile as he wrapped his arms around Awsten’s thin frame, like he could break at any second, and he suspected that Awsten felt the same. 

“Are we okay,” Otto whispered when they pulled apart. 

“Yeah,” Awsten said, looking at Otto softly, eyes glowing slightly with emotion. “I think we are.”

A dull wave of emotion hit Otto when Awsten looked at him like that. He was perfect. He was beautiful, inside and out, and it made Otto’s heart  _ ache _ knowing that he could never have him. 

But the ache was bittersweet. Otto  _ cherished _ Awsten so much and would sacrifice  _ anything _ if it meant their friendship would remain intact. Love was just  _ like that _ , unconditional and wonderful and  _ painful.  _ It was  _ so  _ painful. But Otto would take it all. For Awsten. 

And he wondered when he got so deep, in the darkest hours of the night. It kind of felt like one moment, Otto was fine, and the next moment he was hopelessly in love with his friend. What changed? He didn’t know. It didn’t matter. What mattered was who he was. He was Otto. And Otto loved Awsten. And that was okay. 

__ In another room, Awsten was floating, lying down in the air. It was two in the morning and he couldn’t sleep. He was just alone with his thoughts. 

Thoughts. Too many thoughts. All about her. Invading, conquering,  _ strangling  _ any other thoughts that came into his head. Why couldn’t he stop  _ thinking? _ Stop. Focus on something else. What happened today? Otto showed him how to take care of his horses today. Awsten smiled as he thought about how he got to give one a peppermint. The mint was gross and sticky and he got horse slobber all over his hand but it was worth it.

Why? Why was it worth it? Awsten didn’t even like animals that much. What made all of it  _ worth it _ ? Awsten flipped through his memories of the past few days like records in a crate, trying to pinpoint something he wasn’t totally sure of. 

_ It’s the farm, _ he thought to himself. Awsten had said many times before that he would never visit Otto’s farm if his life depended on it, but being here…it felt like home. 

But it wasn’t  _ actually _ the place, was it? It was Otto. Otto felt like home. 

Awsten almost hit his head on the ceiling with how fast he sat up.  _ What the fuck? _

The more he thought about it, the more true it became. Otto felt like home. Otto felt like safety. It was why Awsten’s first choice was to go to  _ him  _ after he couldn’t stand California anymore, sick with emotion and heartbreak. He went  _ to him.  _

And he felt he could probably stay at the farm forever. Sure, he hated the location, and there was little to no cell service, and every material thing he liked in everyday life would be virtually inaccessible, but… they would be together. They could live their life  _ together.  _

Awsten rubbed at his eyes. It was too late for this. Dropping back onto the spare bed, he resolved to go to sleep and think about it more in the morning. 

His time in the dreamscape was hazy and distorted, as it always was. At least that was something that never changed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That was a lot! Next chapter should be up...sometime in the near future. Please comment! And give kudos! I live off of validation so do that!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Whooh, long chapter (not really, but longer). Y'all get an emotional rollercoater. As a treat.
> 
> I think now's a good time to mention that timeline and most everything is generally fucked. You probably figured that out already, but I'm reaffirming it.

The morning came too soon. 

The sun filtered through the blinds, warming his cold form. Awsten basked in the heat for a moment before rolling out of bed and floating down the hallway. 

“Morning,” Otto said without even looking up from whatever he was doing. 

“G’mme a hug,” Awsten mumbled, not fully awake. 

“What’s up,” Otto asked as he walked over to where Awsten was standing. 

“I’ve really been going through it emotionally and I need snuggles.” 

“I think that can be arranged,” Otto joked as he wrapped his arms around his friend. 

Awsten immediately melted into the hug. God, it was _so_ nice. Otto’s human form was warm and soft. His hand came up to pet Awsten’s hair and Awsten felt more safe and cared for than he had in a long time and oh shit, tears are falling down his face and he’s crying. 

“Hey,” Otto said quietly. “What’s wrong?”

Awsten sniffled. “It’s nothing,” he croaked. 

“No really, why are you crying?”

“It’s really nothing, just—just keep holding me please.” 

“Okay,” Otto whispered. 

Awsten couldn’t handle this. It felt like so much had happened in the last few months and everything was hitting him all at once. It was too much. 

So he stood there, crying in Otto’s arms, for what felt like an eternity. And Otto stood there with him, petting his hair and occasionally murmuring words of reassurance and Awsten felt _loved._ He felt more loved than he had in a _long_ time. 

He was untethered, and if Otto let go he would probably drift away into the clouds. Awsten could die right then and it wouldn’t have mattered, because he wanted to hold onto that feeling forever. 

“I’m sorry,” he said once he calmed down enough to talk. His throat and nose were clogged and his eyes stung but then Otto’s hand was on his cheek and his thumb was delicately brushing away Awsten’s tears and nothing else mattered in that moment. 

“You don’t have to be sorry. It’s what I’m here for. You know I would do anything for you, right?” 

Awsten nodded, heart going goopy at Otto’s sincere words, and pressed their foreheads together. He pulled away after a second and— _oh._ How had he never noticed how _pretty_ Otto was? Like, _really_ pretty. And their faces were _so_ close together and Awsten could see every individual eyelash and it would be so easy to just... lean forward and press their lips together. 

A hot flush spread across Awsten’s cheekbones as he came back to himself. “I’m going outside,” he said as fast as he could before flying out the door and into the sky. 

Laying on his back above the house, he basked in both the sunlight and his happiness. He felt like a schoolgirl with a crush, giddy and slightly embarrassed. But… they could never make it work, could they?

Awsten slowly sank through the air to sit on the roof. No, they _couldn’t_ make it work. What was he _thinking?_ That maybe he could have a chance? This was his _friend_ , for crying out loud. 

_I don’t even like him like that_ , he thought to himself. _It’s just, like, emotional whiplash because of her… or something. That’s got to be it. I just… I need to go home and get away from this place. Then everything should even out._

“I’m going home tomorrow,” Awsten said when he came back inside. 

“Okay. What time are you leaving,” Otto said as nonchalantly as he could. 

“Like seven in the morning.”

“Okay.” 

He knew this would happen eventually, that Awsten would eventually have to go home. He just wished that it could have maybe been a little longer. But… maybe they could do something before he had to leave. Something good. 

Otto spent the day thinking about it. “Hey, do you wanna like, maybe make a fire tonight? I’ve got things for hot dogs and s’mores and we can celebrate your last night here. Would that sound good,” he asked, and watched Awsten think about it for a second. 

“That sounds really nice,” he said. He gave Otto a soft smile and Otto’s brain short circuited. He would miss this. The routine they had fallen into over the last two weeks was comfortable and domestic and good and _almost_ allowed Otto to believe they were an actual couple. All good things must end, Otto knew that, but why would you ever _want_ them to?

“Hey, come help me collect firewood,” he said, when the sun was sinking past the horizon, and the sky was painted in blazing reds and oranges. Awsten nodded and walked with Otto outside, but his mind seemed to be elsewhere. _I wonder what he’s thinking about._

It was dark by the time they got the fire really going. The sky was one of the best things about living in the middle of nowhere. Nothing was out there to stop the stars from shining, so they did, and they did brightly. That, combined with the warm glow of the fire, made the night feel like a whispered secret, passing through the ear of trust. 

“What’s up?” Otto nudged Awsten gently. “You haven’t said a word this whole time.”

Awsten sighed, and tilted his head down so that Otto couldn’t see his eyes. “It’s nothing.”

“Well it’s gotta be _something._ What is it?”

“I guess I’m just gonna miss this. It’s just us two in our own little bubble. And that’s really nice,” Awsten said quietly, looking almost wistful.

“You don’t have to go. You’re always welcome here.”

“I gotta get back to my life.”

If Otto said he wasn’t at least a little disappointed, he’d be lying. A part of him thought that maybe they _could_ live like this forever. But reality is a needle larger than life, tearing holes in their bubble and letting the outside leak in. But the fire was warm and the hot dogs were delicious and Awsten was sitting next to him and everything was _right,_ at least for a moment. It didn’t matter if he was going to leave tomorrow because right then, in that moment, they had that.

“Why the fuck do you eat your marshmallows like that,” Awsten asked some time later, sounding scandalized. “The only correct way to eat marshmallows is perfectly toasted.”

“I like them burnt. They’re gooey on the inside. Plus it’s fun to light them in fire. I would think you would at least appreciate _that._ Now shut up and eat your s’mores.” 

Awsten didn’t respond, he just leaned his head on Otto’s shoulder did as he was told. The stars were so lovely. They sparkled and shined and there were so _many_ of them. It was quiet times like this that made Otto remember his own insignificance. It was scary, but it was also humbling. It didn’t matter who you were or what you had if you were a speck of dust in the universe. Just like everyone was. 

Otto looked down at Awsten to realize that he had fallen asleep. Sighing fondly, he carried him back to the spare room. He walked softly, not wanting to wake Awsten from what little sleep he got, and closed the door. As Otto walked back to his own room, he thought that tomorrow would come and shatter what they had, but he couldn’t think of a better way to spend a night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I might just end the story here.
> 
> Sike! Why the fuck would I do that? I've got angst to get to and a couple to pair up!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Awsten makes some bad decisions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the chapter when you find out that I can't write angst to save my life. This one's been kicking my but for like a month so I'm so glad for it to finally be out! Sorry to whoever the fuck those eighty something hits came from, but the chapter is here now.

The jarring sound of his alarm stirred Awsten from a hazy dream he couldn’t quite place. The early morning sun shone through the windows. He fumbled with his phone for a bit before turning the annoying sound off. It was time to go back home. Then things would go back to normal. He slipped out the door and tried to ignore how bad leaving really felt. 

He had a long flight home. Despite what he said to others, Awsten really wasn’t built to fly long distances. He was fast, but any flight longer than about six hours was extremely taxing. He had almost a full day of flying ahead of him. He didn’t care. It was just the price to pay, to go home, to get away from whatever _this_ was. And if that meant being a little tired, then so be it.

Otto tended to the horses idly. It was one of those days where there was no breeze and everything seemed to just stand still for hours on end. He thought about how spacey Awsten had seemed the night before. Otto was worried. Awsten had a habit of getting too in his own head and was not immune to doing reckless things. Otto hoped he wasn’t going to hurt himself on the trip back. 

That hope, however, would not see itself true. It had been several hours since Awsten left and he hadn’t stopped once. He felt sick every time he looked down so he didn’t. It was too high, it was _too high._ The late afternoon sun burned his back, and his wings felt heavy. They felt like they were almost pulling him down instead of lifting him up, and every time he moved them it just added to the weight. He had to keep going. He _had_ to keep going _._ He wouldn’t get home if he didn’t. Things wouldn’t go back to normal if he didn’t. So he pressed on.

And when things went dark in the middle of the sky and Awsten was falling, wings almost shredding as exhaustion consumed him, then maybe perseverance _wasn’t_ such a good idea. 

Awsten woke on the side of the road. The first thing he felt was the pain. The kind of pain that filled his whole body with the ache. The next was how _tired_ he was. The kind of tired that melted his skin off and turned his bones to lead. The sun burned his eyes. He would probably wither up out here if he stayed for too long. 

Groaning as he sat up, he shifted into his human form. If someone was going to find him on the side of the road, he wanted to at least _appear_ normal. But _god,_ he had forgotten just how _heavy_ it was. Otto was right. Damn him. 

_Oh god his phone._

He pulled it out of his pocket. It was completely shattered, as was expected. It was whatever. A small movement of his hand, and the phone mended itself. Where even _was_ he? Thank god for google maps. After determining his location, he called an Uber, because _no fucking way_ was he going to do anything himself ever again. 

“You look beat. How’d you get into this one,” the driver asked once the car arrived. 

“It’s a long story,” Awsten mumbled before passing out in the back seat. He was so, so tired. It was a long drive home. He had time. 

“Hey! Hey, wake up. Ride’s over.”

Awsten opened his eyes. Absentmindedly charming the driver, he got out of the car and shuffled up the stairs to his apartment. Normally, he would feel bad about stiffing the dude, as he usually tried to earn and pay for things legitimately, but everything hurt and he was just so _fucking_ tired. The dude wouldn’t remember anything that happened or that Awsten even existed. It was kinder that way, Awsten supposed.

Walking up the stairs just drew more attention to Awsten’s bruised body. He was durable, but not indestructible. You can’t just fall out of the sky and get up perfectly fine. Everything hurt and all he wanted to do was sleep. Shedding his human form the second he entered his apartment, he dragged himself to his room and promptly collapsed onto his bed. It was somewhere around 3 am. He was out in minutes.

Awsten woke slowly, clinging desperately onto something he didn’t quite know. The clock said 12:43 pm and his apartment was quiet. It was so quiet. How had he forgotten how quiet it was. The noises that come with the city never stopped, but they didn’t fill the space. They continued in the background, the noise somehow amplifying the quiet of the apartment. 

Or maybe quiet wasn’t the right word. No, the right word was probably something more like _empty._ It was just him and only him, and it felt a lot stranger than he thought it would. He had gotten used to Otto’s presence in the two-ish weeks that he spent with him, even when they weren’t talking or anything. They could just _be_ , together, and maybe that’s what was so nice about it.

_Maybe that’s what love feels like._

But, no. It’s not. Because it’s not real, and all Awsten has to do is live his normal life and everything will be fine. He told himself this, over and over, hoping that maybe it could be true. 

No. It _would_ be true. Because everything was fine. Everything was _fine,_ and _nothing_ was wrong. 

That’s what he told himself whenever he found himself missing Otto, despite everything. When the pain from his reckless endangerment of himself was all he could focus on and he desperately wanted to be held. That pain faded slowly. It still hurt, a fall from the sky will do that to you, but it hurt less from one passing day to the next. And slowly, his life came back. He didn’t need to spend every waking moment thinking about _her_ anymore. 

Before he knew, it had been three weeks and his body didn’t hurt anymore. But something was still missing because _of course_ it was. 

He needed to go back. Awsten scrolled through his phone to the heart eyes emoji and clicked ‘facetime audio’.

“Howdy,” Otto said once he picked up the phone. He hadn’t heard from Awsten since his abrupt leave from the farm. He was worried. Geoff had told him that Awsten had apparently taken a dive out of the sky, which he never bothered to tell Otto during the few conversations they had had over the month or so since Awsten left. 

“Um… how would you feel if I maybe came to visit you again?” Awsten sounded hesitant as he asked his question, like it was some insane idea. 

“If you wanted to then yeah, you should come over again. When are you thinking?”

“When’s the soonest I can come?”

“I mean, if you showed up tomorrow that would be fine. Why are you even asking? It’s not like you’ve showed up at my doorstep at 2 am before or anything,” Otto joked. Awsten let out a laugh at that. The sound was crackly, despite the facetime audio quality being better. _God_ the reception out here sucked. 

“Yeahhh, I’m still sorry about that. I didn’t know where else to go and you’re my comfort human.” It was something Awsten had said before but it never failed to make Otto’s brain mush. He couldn't even form the coherency to remind Awsten that he _wasn't_ human.

“Why do you want to come over again anyway? I thought you didn’t even like the farm.”

“Well I… I missed you.” And the _way_ Awsten said the simple phrase was so adoring and so full of affection for his friend and Otto couldn’t take it. His brain immediately lost signal. Awsten on the other end was quiet, waiting for Otto to say something.

“Uh, I’ll see you tomorrow then?”

“Yeah. Tomorrow.” And with that, Awsten hung up the phone. He had a trip to prepare for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you hate it? I hate it. Time to work on the next chapter! WHOOO! I hope you liked it and PLEASE! COMMENTS! Kudos too, but MOSTLY COMMENTS! If you hated it let me know!!! (Or maybe don't because I'm sensitive)


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is a really short chapter, but everything's resolved! yay! this story is really really terrible! I'm really sorry for not giving y'all a better chapter, but I'm not really in this fandom anymore. :/

Awsten was practically vibrating with nerves and excitement as he headed back towards Texas. The plane he caught was last minute, and he got the feeling that his nervous, jittery energy was affecting the people sitting next to him. Planes were gross, but it was fast. Plus, it had the bonus of not making him pass out midair. 

He kind of just existed, mind and soul drifting among the clouds as the plane went by. He continued to drift as the plane landed, continued to drift as he sat in the car he paid to take him to Otto’s farm. The landscape passed by as the car kept moving as Awsten grew more jittery the closer they got. The car stopped and Awsten got out, absentmindedly thanking the driver. 

He waited until the driver was out of sight and then melted into his true form. He stood in front of the door, wings fluttering anxiously. A part of Awsten was excited. Another part of him wanted to puke. But  _ goddamn  _ he didn’t come out all this way for nothing. Steeling his nerve, he rang the doorbell. He could hear the sound reverberate through the house. 

Footsteps, then Otto opened the door. 

“Hi,” Awsten said.

“Howdy,” Otto said back. They stared at each other for a moment before Awsten broke the silence.

“I didn’t think you’d let me come back. Especially after my… sudden exit.”

“Of course,” Otto responded automatically. “I told you you’re always welcome here.”

Awsten fiddled with the hem of his sweatshirt. “I came to this… realization, I guess.”

Otto tilted his head with a confused look, and the blank marble of his irises probably should have been unsettling but Awsten had stopped being weirded out by his statue look a  _ long  _ time ago. They were just another part of Otto, beautiful,  _ caring  _ Otto, who had always been there for him.

“Realization?”

Awsten stepped closer. “Yeah,” he breathed, before tipping Otto’s chin up and kissing him. Otto froze for a minute before wrapping his arms around Awsten to pull him closer. His lips were cold, but Awsten didn’t care because it was  _ so much.  _ And he never thought he’d be here, but something about it was  _ right  _ and  _ god,  _ they should have done this centuries ago. 

  
  


Kissing an actual rock was definitely an experience, but Awsten was only halfway corporeal, so maybe they were even. Otto looked a bit shocked when they pulled apart, like he didn’t really understand what had just happened. 

“What was that for?”

Awsten shrugged. “I may or may not have had a crisis. I tried to avoid my feelings but then that didn’t work. So I came back here. We’ve known each other for actual centuries, so I figured the worst thing that could have happened would be that you reject me and we move past it. Plus, I wanted closure.”

Otto laughed softly, and took Awsten’s face gently in his hands. “You’re an idiot.”

“I know.”

“Now come on, you can help me take care of the horses,” Otto said, turning away to walk towards where the horses were kept. Awsten flew after him, thinking that maybe this time, what they had could last. They had until the end of the world to be together and Awsten was determined to live every minute of it. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Was it exactly as terrible as you thought it would be? Good, leave a comment. Please I crave validation.

**Author's Note:**

> Y’all are gonna have to wait for the next one. It shouldn’t be long though. Hyperfixation is Like That.


End file.
